It’s all well and good having been a trainer for many years, but when a trainee asks about how you back a Wabco Opti-flow trailer onto a bay with the yellow wheel guides, or some other “modern” question, a trainer who has recent real industry experience must be a mine of information
That’s a perfectly fair and well reasoned comment. I can only speak for what we do. And what we do includes a considerable amount of training on “real” vehicles for licence acquisision, pre employment assessment, speed awareness training, driver development training.
In fact, I personally recently trained the assessor for a national company operating close on 100 vehicles of assorted makes, tranmissions etc. Mix of w+d and artic. Given the fact that he has the yeah or nay on whether a driver is employed there, I consider my input to be relatively important.
So although we may not have the luxury of the time to just go and drive a shift from time to time, we are well up to speed with what’s happening out there. That statement is, of course, subject to the fact that no-one knows everything.
I am in no way critical of Paul doing some driving; when I first set up I was driving buses, coaches, tippers and fridge wagons to keep the wolf from the door. Nothing wrong with it at all. But I prefer to spend my time training.
I’d love to be a trainer when I’ve held my licence long enough.
It’s a great career choice if you’re one of the rare breed that takes to it and is able to do it well.
Pete 